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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · staff · deal · ruler · board · dip · lean · cold

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. file — a line of people
  3. staff — employees
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a document
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lean — thin
  13. board — to get on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. deal — to handle
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com